GUEST COLUMN.

Virtually every county (and city and state) in America has its own website. But just putting in lots of beautiful images of mountain peaks and rivers as well as photos of the government’s leaders is just the beginning.

For local governments website accessibility is of paramount importance. This is due largely to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which required that local government entities comply with web accessibility technical standards within two to three years, but no later than 2027. The rule does allow for limited exceptions that address third party content, archived documents, and existing social media.

This has always been a rather heavy – though essential – burden, but the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can make a huge difference. Read on to see how your community can avail itself of this relatively new set of tools.

The ADA, originally enacted in 1990, requires that websites are developed that are accessible to individuals with disabilities, including features like adjustable text size, high contrast color schemes, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, alt text for images, video captions and clear heading structures, allowing users to navigate and access information regardless of their visual or motor abilities. ADA has continued to be responsive through amendments and legal interpretations, reinforcing the principles of equal opportunities for all individuals with disabilities, including the elderly who may develop disabilities with walking, seeing, or hearing.

Becoming compliant is a significant undertaking for local government that includes assessment and remediation that require financial resources and staff training. Now here comes the fun part – how to use artificial intelligence to assist with compliance that will save time and use limited resources efficiently. But first one needs to understand what AI is and is not, as well as a definition of Generative AI (GenAI)

In the NACo AI Compass introduced in 2024, the definition section provides clear user-friendly definitions of AI and GenAI:

AI is like digital assistant automating processes that organize data for employees to make informed decisions. Examples include smart devices such as lights in the courthouse or self-driving cars that collect data. Other examples include transcribing apps, voice command prompts, and customer relationship management scripts used in chatbots. This is similar to a behind-the-scenes advisor

Further, GenAI is defined as:

GenAI, such as ChatGPT, generates creative content, which not only assists in regular tasks but also is capable of drafting documents, designing educational materials, or creating public service announcements, showcasing its ability to produce new and original content when you ask it questions, otherwise known as prompts.

Now that you have a good understanding of AI and GenAI, let’s explore how this evolving technology can assist in helping your local government entities’ digital online presence become more compliant with ADA.

First, AI tools can help in identifying those areas of your website, social media and mobile apps that have ADA gaps. Along with this identification, AI can more quickly review and summarize the analytics that then can be used to develop a digital media score on ADA compliance. Included in that score are links to credible resources that explain why and how to improve that particular section.

Second, AI tools can make recommended edits for you and your team to review which will enhance accessibility. The AI tool can also be implemented to even prevent certain non-ADA compliant aspects being implemented in your digital media. This last part of course takes a coordinated effort with your website support staff or other digital media provider. I would also highly recommend that during this process, you keep “the human in the loop.”

Final approvals should come from staff who own and understand the content.

Third, AI can assist in on-going identification of areas of your website, social media and mobile apps that are not ADA compliant. Automatic notifications can then be sent to the proper local government entity department to adjust or fix the non-compliant section. Keep in mind that this applies to pdf documents. The helpful part with pdf’s, is that the application used to convert documents from word, excel, etc. into pdf now have AI and

GenAI built in to remind you and make suggestions of where your document needs edits to make it ADA compliant.

A final bonus to consider is adding an AI chatbot agent to your website. This chat feature is more advanced and can scour your website content instantly based on instructions or prompts that you provide. By using a tool like an AI chatbot, you can identify non-compliant ADA sections faster and remediate them more efficiently. Further the AI chatbot can guide public users more effectively to content or services.

There is a plethora of valuable resources available that explain further how to meet ADA standards. These include ADA.gov and the Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C). As to incorporating AI and GenAI, here are two resources that provide further education: Using AI to Improve Your Website's ADA Compliance and Navigating ADA Compliance: The Role of AI in Creating Accessible Websites.

Good luck on your journey to ADA compliance using AI!

The contents of this Guest Column are those of the author, and not necessarily Barrett and Greene, Inc. 

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